Growing Pains: Meaning, Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

A child may experience some slight discomfort while growing up, and growing pains is one of them. This pain usually happens when a child is between the ages of three to twelve. However, it does not persist for long and gets better with time.

What is Growing Pain?

The aches and throbs a child feels in their legs while growing up are called growing pains. This pain is located primarily in the thighs, calves, and in their knees. This leg pain in kids usually occurs at night and may even wake them from their sleep. However, not every child feels this pain, which often occurs in children with lower pain thresholds, and some healthcare professionals relate it to psychological issues.

As some people confuse growing pains with other pains, one needs to know what is growing pain and what its symptoms are.

What are the symptoms and signs of growing pains?

What are growing pains and what makes them unique? These questions can be answered by looking at the symptoms, which is the best way to determine whether they are growing pains. Some of the key symptoms of growing pains are:

• Muscular pain in the calf, thighs, and behind the knee

• Not having pain in joints

• Pain is felt irregularly

• The pain usually begins late in the afternoon or evening

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• Pain is so severe that it can wake up the child

• They do not experience any pain during the daytime

• Growing pain does not lead to a limp, and the child has no problem running or playing

• Headaches may also accompany the pain.

What causes growing pains?

Most children experience growing pains, which can arise from various causes, throughout their adolescence. The exact reason for this pain is unknown, but it may arise due to the following reasons.

Muscle fatigue

Excess physical activity during the daytime can lead to growing pains in children. However, not every child experiences pain after a rough day. Some recover from it, while others have aches at night.

Improper posture

Sitting, walking, or standing in the wrong posture puts a huge strain on a child's body. Furthermore, if a child has a flat fleet, they are more likely to suffer from growing pains.

Being emotionally upset

Children who are emotionally upset or are under stress fall victim to these pains. However, this is not always the case with every child that feels pain.

Risk factors for growing pains

Growing pains are commonly seen in adolescent children. And children of this age group are very active. So parents need to ensure that their children are not experiencing excessive fatigue and are taking proper rest when they have growing pains. Running, jumping, and climbing during the daytime increase the chances of muscle aches at night.

How are growing pains identified?

There is no defined test for growing pains. Therefore, doctors usually diagnose this condition based on the symptoms. Doctors check and rule out symptoms related to health conditions other than growing pain, which may lead to muscle aches. Some of the common indicators that doctors look for are the following.

• The child's physical examination is normal but they still have pain

• The pain is active at night, and the child feels nothing during the daytime

• The pain gets better after a massage or after taking painkillers

Treatment for growing pains

Getting advice from a healthcare professional is the best way to tackle this pain. They can explain to a parent how to relieve growing pains in legs of their children. Some of the things that a doctor recommends are as follows.

• Reassurance from the parents to the child that their pain will go away eventually relieves them from mental stress

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• Soft massage on the affected area with special oils helps in pain relief

• Applying heat to the painful area using heat packs

• Oral painkillers can also help children cope with the pain. Medicines like ibuprofen or acetaminophen come in very handy in these situations.

• Consulting a chiropractor or pediatrician to get guidance on how to correct the child's posture

• Asking the child to do some stretching to relieve the muscle pains

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When should I contact a physician?

Not every muscle pain is associated with growing pain. Therefore, parents need to know when to go to a physician to get their child diagnosed with muscle pain. One needs to consult a healthcare professional when the pain:

• is persistent

• also experienced during the da.

• becomes so severe that the child finds it hard to carry out their day-to-day work

• occurs in the joints

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• in the muscles started after a serious injury

• in the muscles of the child is accompanied by some additional symptoms such as swelling, tenderness, fever, rash, limping, fatigue, or loss of appetite.

So, this is everything that a parent needs to know about growing pains. They can use this information to diagnose and treat this pain in their child.